scholarly journals Saproxylic beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) on an old beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Madonie Mountains (Sicily, Italy)

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignazio Sparacio ◽  
Roberto Viviano
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Saproxylic Beetles ◽  
Beetle Species ◽  
Saproxylic Insects ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L ◽  
Old Trees

Saproxylic insects associated with old trees are seriously threatened in Europe and their habitat is severely decreased. Usually, old trees harbour a very diverse fauna of beetles with many rare species and red-listed saproxylic insect species. These insects live in the dead wood outside the tree (in branches or parts of the trunk), inside the tree hollows, in the debris, and in fungal fruit bodies. During 2019 we collected saproxylic beetles near Monte Carbonara (Madonie Mountains, Sicily, Italy) at 1800 meters above sea level. Particularly, we studied a very old still standing beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), t with numerous cavities and parts of the trunk fallen to the ground. Samples were collected by visually looking for beetles, on the ground and under leaves near the old beech, in its cavities and sifting the debris in the laboratory. Up to date the results include interesting beetle species such as Osmoderma cristinae Sparacio, 1994 (Cetoniidae), Byrrhus numidicus Normand, 1935 (Byrrhidae), Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) and Morimus asper Sulzer, 1776 (Cerambycidae).

scholarly journals Effects of Environmental Traits and Landscape Management on the Biodiversity of Saproxylic Beetles in Mediterranean Oak Forests

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
Ana M. Cárdenas ◽  
Patricia Gallardo ◽  
Ángela Salido ◽  
José Márquez
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Saproxylic Beetles ◽  
Red Lists ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Old Trees ◽  
Negative Relationships ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Fauna

This study assesses the effects of environmental traits and landscape management on the biodiversity of saproxylic beetles from “dehesas” located in Sierra Morena Mountains (Córdoba, Southern Iberian Peninsula). The dehesa is an open savanna-like landscape with mature/old trees scattered on a pasture cover where both living and dead wood are of great importance for the maintenance of macroinvertebrate fauna. The study was carried out in five plots, with different environmental features and management. A total of 137 branches belonging to the four main tree species present in the area were collected, classified, and kept under four different thermal conditions. From January to June 2019, the adult emergences were followed. A total of 466 saproxylic specimens of 31 species were obtained, 5 of them included in red lists of protected fauna. Two Bostrichidae species (Lichenophanes numida Lesne and Scobicia pustulata Fab.) and two Cerambycidae (Chlorophorus ruficornis Oliv. and Trichoferus fasciculatus Faldermann) are included in the “European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles”; and the Clerid Tillus ibericus Bahillo de la Puebla, López–Colón and García–Paris, is included in the “Red Book of Invertebrate of Andalucía”. Differences were observed regarding the diversity and abundance among the plots and among the tree species from which the beetles emerged. Simple regression analyses revealed negative relationships between tree density/Buprestidae, livestock/Bostrichidae, and land use/Cerambycidae. Multivariant logistic regression analysis did not find significant relationships among environmental traits and saproxylic diversity. Results confirmed that dry wood was a main resource for the maintenance dehesas’ biodiversity because it constitutes an ecological niche exploited by a significant set of saproxylic beetles belonging to the Bostrichidae, Buprestidae, and Cerambycidae families, in addition to other guilds of species, mainly Carabidae and Cleridae, which feed on the above-mentioned groups. Our results also support that increasing environmental temperature accelerates the development of Buprestidae, but this effect was not evident for the Bostrichidae species.

scholarly journals Préférences écologiques des coléoptères saproxyliques emblématiques de Suisse

2018 ◽  
Vol 169 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Sanchez ◽  
Yannick Chittaro ◽  
Yves Gonseth
Keyword(s):  
Dead Wood ◽  
Saproxylic Beetles ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Saproxylic Coleoptera ◽  
Low Altitude ◽  
Decaying Wood ◽  
Old Trees

Ecological preferences of Switzerland's emblematic saproxylic beetles Swiss forests are home to nearly 1500 species of saproxylic Coleoptera. 414 of these are considered emblematic of specific microhabitats and may be used to evaluate the biological quality of different types of forests and wooded areas in Switzerland. This article provides a summary of the ecological requirements of these beetles based on information gathered from entomological collections and the literature. 77% of emblematic saproxylic beetles live at low altitude and 64% depend on warmth and high insolation. Oak (Quercus spp.), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and pine (particularly Pinus sylvestris) are the trees most often exploited by these beetles. 46% of saproxylic Coleoptera depend on decaying wood and 12% on heavily decomposed wood. 12% develop only in cavities in wood and 13% only in wood-decomposing fungi. We propose measures to promote saproxylic Coleoptera, namely by increasing the total amount of dead wood available (namely tree trunks and large branches) throughout Switzerland to at least 20m3/ha in the Jura, on the Plateau and the southern foothills of the Alps and 25 m3/ha in the Alps and Prealps. We also recommend the conservation of old trees that provide unique treemicrohabitats for saproxylic beetles.

scholarly journals Distribution of dead wood volume and mass in mediterranean Fagus sylvatica L. forests in Northern Iberian Peninsula. Implications for field sampling inventory

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. e069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Herrero ◽  
Vicente José Monleon ◽  
Natividad Gómez ◽  
Felipe Bravo
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Development Stage ◽  
Mature Stage ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Fine Woody Debris ◽  
Northern Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L

Aim of study: The aim of this study was to 1) estimate the amount of dead wood in managed beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) stands in northern Iberian Peninsula and 2) evaluate the most appropriate volume equation and the optimal transect length for sampling downed wood.Area of study: The study area is the Aralar Forest in Navarra (Northern Iberian Peninsula).Material and methods: The amount of dead wood by component (downed logs, snags, stumps and fine woody debris) was inventoried in 51 plots across a chronosequence of stand ages (0-120 years old).Main results: The average volume and biomass of dead wood was 24.43 m3 ha-1 and 7.65 Mg ha-1, respectively. This amount changed with stand development stage [17.14 m3 ha-1 in seedling stage; 34.09 m3 ha-1 inpole stage; 22.54 m3 ha-1 in mature stage and 24.27 m3 ha-1 in regular stand in regeneration stage], although the differences were not statistically significant for coarse woody debris. However, forest management influenced the amount of dead wood, because the proportion of mass in the different components and the decay stage depended on time since last thinning. The formula based on intersection diameter resulted on the smallest coefficient of variation out of seven log-volume formulae. Thus, the intersection diameter is the preferred method because it gives unbiased estimates, has the greatest precision and is the easiest to implement in the field.Research highlights: The amount of dead wood, and in particular snags, was significantly lower than that in reserved forests. Results of this study showed that sampling effort should be directed towards increasing the number of transects, instead of increasing transect length or collecting additional piece diameters that do not increase the accuracy or precision of DWM volume estimation.Keywords: snags; downed logs; stumps; fine woody debris; beech; line intersect sampling.

scholarly journals How Does Radial Growth of Water-Stressed Populations of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Trees Vary under Multiple Drought Events?

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Tamalika Chakraborty ◽  
Albert Reif ◽  
Andreas Matzarakis ◽  
Somidh Saha
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Neighborhood Competition

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees are becoming vulnerable to drought, with a warming climate. Existing studies disagree on how radial growth varies in European beech in response to droughts. We aimed to find the impact of multiple droughts on beech trees’ annual radial growth at their ecological drought limit created by soil water availability in the forest. Besides, we quantified the influence of competition and canopy openness on the mean basal area growth of beech trees. We carried out this study in five near-natural temperate forests in three localities of Germany and Switzerland. We quantified available soil water storage capacity (AWC) in plots laid in the transition zone from oak to beech dominated forests. The plots were classified as ‘dry’ (AWC < 60 mL) and ‘less-dry’ (AWC > 60 mL). We performed dendroecological analyses starting from 1951 in continuous and discontinuous series to study the influence of climatic drought (i.e., precipitation-potential evapotranspiration) on the radial growth of beech trees in dry and less-dry plots. We used observed values for this analysis and did not use interpolated values from interpolated historical records in this study. We selected six drought events to study the resistance, recovery, and resilience of beech trees to drought at a discontinuous level. The radial growth was significantly higher in less-dry plots than dry plots. The increase in drought had reduced tree growth. Frequent climatic drought events resulted in more significant correlations, hence, increased the dependency of tree growth on AWC. We showed that the recovery and resilience to climatic drought were higher in trees in less-dry plots than dry plots, but it was the opposite for resistance. The resistance, recovery, and resilience of the trees were heterogeneous between the events of drought. Mean growth of beech trees (basal area increment) were negatively impacted by neighborhood competition and positively influenced by canopy openness. We emphasized that beech trees growing on soil with low AWC are at higher risk of growth decline. We concluded that changes in soil water conditions even at the microsite level could influence beech trees’ growth in their drought limit under the changing climate. Along with drought, neighborhood competition and lack of light can also reduce beech trees’ growth. This study will enrich the state of knowledge about the ongoing debate on the vulnerability of beech trees to drought in Europe.

Short-term nitrogen dynamics are impacted by defoliation and drought in Fagus sylvatica L. branches

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 792-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Antoine Chuste ◽  
Catherine Massonnet ◽  
Dominique Gérant ◽  
Berndt Zeller ◽  
Joseph Levillain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Nitrogen Dynamics ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L

scholarly journals Palaeoecology as a Tool for the Future Management of Forest Ecosystems in Hesse (Central Germany): Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) versus Lime (Tilia cordata Mill.)

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 924
Author(s):  
Astrid Stobbe ◽  
Maren Gumnior
Keyword(s):  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Tilia Cordata ◽  
Beech Forests ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
The Future ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L ◽  
Low Mountain Ranges ◽  
Intramontane Basins ◽  
Future Management

In the Central German Uplands, Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies have been particularly affected by climate change. With the establishment of beech forests about 3000 years ago and pure spruce stands 500 years ago, they might be regarded as ‘neophytes’ in the Hessian forests. Palaeoecological investigations at wetland sites in the low mountain ranges and intramontane basins point to an asynchronous vegetation evolution in a comparatively small but heterogenous region. On the other hand, palynological data prove that sustainably managed woodlands with high proportions of Tilia have been persisting for several millennia, before the spread of beech took place as a result of a cooler and wetter climate and changes in land management. In view of increasingly warmer and drier conditions, Tilia cordata appears especially qualified to be an important silvicultural constituent of the future, not only due to its tolerance towards drought, but also its resistance to browsing, and the ability to reproduce vegetatively. Forest managers should be encouraged to actively promote the return to more stress-tolerant lime-dominated woodlands, similar to those that existed in the Subboreal chronozone.

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